Grain bins are massive structures used to store bulk flowable grain products such as corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, or any other grain products or granular or particulate material. Conventional grain bins are generally formed in a cylindrical shape with a corrugated sidewall covered by a peaked roof. Grain bins vary in height (ranging from twenty feet high to well over one hundred and fifty feet high), and vary in diameter (ranging from eighteen feet in diameter to well over one hundred and fifty feet in diameter). The storage capacity of modern grain bins can range anywhere from a few thousand bushels to well over a million bushels.
Grain bins are periodically filled with grain for storage purposes. As needed, grain is removed from the grain bin by opening sumps in an elevated floor of the grain bin that connect to an unload auger positioned below the floor. However, due to the flow properties of grain, or what is known as the angle of repose, the sumps and the unload auger cannot remove all of the gain from the grain bin.
The angle of repose is the steepest angle of descent relative to the horizontal plane to which a granular material can be piled without slumping. Due to the angle of repose of grain when a sump is opened only so much of the grain will naturally flow out of the sump. This leaves a reverse cone of grain between the sump and the grain bin wall.
To remove this residual grain left behind after using the sump(s) and the unload auger, a sweep auger is often employed. Conventional sweep augers include an auger that extends outward from a central pivot point and includes a driven wheel or sweep wheel at its end. Conventional sweep augers are configured to drive around the grain bin as they rotate upon the pivot point while moving residual grain within the grain bin toward the sumps located near the center of the bin.
While conventional sweep augers are effective at removing much of the residual grain left within a grain bin, conventional sweep augers themselves leave a lot of grain within the grain bin. This is largely due to the drive wheel positioned at the outward end of the sweep auger. The drive wheel is configured to rotate and engage the grain and/or the elevated floor of the grain bin in order to drive the sweep auger forward. However, in doing so, the drive wheel tends to throw grain behind the sweep auger and/or against the grain bin wall and out of reach for the sweep auger. Any residual grain left behind by the sweep auger must be removed by hand, by sweeping and shoveling, which is a manual-labor task that is laborious, time consuming, tedious and therefore undesirable.
While various attempts have been made in the prior art to improve sweep augers, each solution suffers from its own disadvantages and fails to provide an adequate solution.
Therefore, for all the reasons stated above, and the reasons stated below, there is a need in the art for an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin.
Thus, it is a primary object of at least one embodiment to provide a sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that improves upon the state of the art.
Another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that reduces the amount of grain left behind by a sweep auger.
Yet another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that reduces the amount of manual labor required to clean a grain bin.
Another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that works effectively.
Yet another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that is efficient to use.
Another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that is easy to assemble.
Yet another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that is robust.
Another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that has a long useful life.
Yet another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that does not negatively affect the sweep auger's ability to drive around the grain bin.
Another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that is durable.
Yet another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that is relatively inexpensive.
Another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that is high quality.
Yet another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that can be used with practically any grain bin.
Another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that reduces the number of passes a sweep auger must make in order to empty a grain bin.
Yet another object of at least one embodiment is to provide an improved sweep auger system for cleaning grain out of a grain bin that makes it easier to handle grain.
These and other objects, features, or advantages of at least one embodiment will become apparent from the specification, figures and claims.